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LEAF DEVELOPMENT

Keeping leaves in shape

Nature Plants volume 6, pages 436–437 (2020)Cite this article

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Leaf development follows a common principle but is also flexibly tuned in different species in a spatiotemporal manner. A novel regulatory mechanism controlling leaflet formation has been identified in Medicago.

In nature, leaf shape is highly variable among different species and, sometimes, even within a single species. This variability provides a tractable system to understand how gene activity translates into organ morphology. Because leaves are the main sites for CO2 fixation in terrestrial ecosystems, the diversity of leaf forms also reflects the mechanisms of plant adaptation. Leaves can be broadly classified as simple and compound depending on the way the blade (lamina) is divided. A simple leaf is composed of an undivided blade, and a compound leaf has subdivided blades. Each unit of a compound leaf, termed a leaflet, is fully separated and resembles a single leaf. After initiation, leaf development can be divided into two overlapping phases: morphogenesis and differentiation. During compound leaf morphogenesis, leaflets form along the leaf margin. During differentiation, leaflets grow substantially and acquire the final form. The formation of a compound leaf requires sufficient maintenance of transient morphogenetic activity. It is believed that a prolonged morphogenesis phase increases leaf complexity1.

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Fig. 1: Balancing morphogenesis and differentiation determines compound leaf complexity.

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Affiliations

  1. College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Ying Wang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Yuling Jiao

  3. College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Yuling Jiao

Authors
  1. Ying Wang
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  2. Yuling Jiao
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Correspondence to Ying Wang or Yuling Jiao.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Wang, Y., Jiao, Y. Keeping leaves in shape. Nat. Plants 6, 436–437 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-020-0660-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-020-0660-0

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